Welcome to the Marine Discovery Center

Open Thurs-Mon: 11 am-3 pm

The Marine Discovery Center has exciting, hands-on activities for children of all ages! Discover firsthand what a sea star or sea urchin feels like. Take part in a squid dissection, make a fun art project, find out what happens when it rains, unscramble a puzzle, and learn how we can all take action in our own backyards to protect Puget Sound habitats for marine critters.

Learning about sea urchins, sea stars, and sea cucumbers might inspire you to take a walk on the beach! Join Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium naturalists for Explore the Shore low tide beach walks at Owen Beach, where we will identify tide pool animals and record their presence and location in order to add the information to the scientific NatureMapping database. Explore the Shore is a fun and exciting opportunity to learn about the biological diversity of local beaches and how to protect them.

helping puget sound

We all must help protect Puget Sound waters. What will you do? To get started, print out your own Pledge Card. Bring your completed pledge card to the Marine Discovery Center during open hours to receive a special prize!Visit PugetSoundStartsHere.org for ideas on how you can protect Puget Sound.